Photograph of the exterior view of the ruins of Mission San Antonio de Padua from a distance, ca.1900. Parts of the roof on various buildings have collapsed, while some of the walls of the buildings have deteriorated. Nearby outhouses have collapsed. In front of the mission is a large flat clearing. Behind the mission are mountain ranges covered with lush trees and bushes.; "Father Serra knew that this third mission's success was important to assure that his dream of a "chain" of missions be realized. Fr. Serra was so anxious to get this mission underway he hung a bell from a large oak tree on their very first day there and vigorously rang it to attract 'All the Gentiles' within earshot. He was not disappointed. Just a few days after their arrival, sensing the kindness and good intentions of the strangers, large numbers of natives arrived to meet them. They accepted the gifts of beads and cloth from the padres and in return provided their own gifts of seeds and acorns harvested in the area. In 1773 the mission was moved to a site further north in the Los Robles Valley that offered a better water supply. The San Antonio River, about three miles above the mission, was dammed and long aqueducts brought the water to the mission where is was stored in reservoirs. The water was used to turn the first California gristmill, where wheat was ground into flour. Much of this early water system, along with the gristmill, are still there today. Due to its remote location, the San Antonio Mission was badly plundered after its secularization in 1834. The mission was completely abandoned for almost 50 years, between 1882 and 1928. Restoration here was a formidable task, but seen as one of the largest and most picturesque of all the missions remaining in northern California, San Antonio was selected by the newly formed California Historic Landmarks League as one of their first projects in 1903. A further restoration of all the mission buildings was funded by the Hearst Foundation and the Franciscans of California in 1948. The mission is now an accurate replica of the original mission as it stood in 1813. Parts of the compound are today used by the Franciscans, but most of the grounds are available to the public for viewing." -- unknown author, ca.2000.